Monday, April 03, 2006

Healing Through Books: Bibliotherapy

Bibliotherapy, also known as Reading Therapy, is the inclusion of books to help individuals move through emotional experiences.

Historically, bibliotherapy dates back to the 1930's when librarians began compiling lists of written material that helped individuals with trauma, thoughts, feelings, or behaviors for therapeutic purposes[1].

I often use bibliotherapy to help people I work with move through difficult events or traumas, like death, divorce, chronic illness, teasing, or hospitalization, just to name a few. Bibliotherapy can be used with children and adults, and can be something that one does on their own as well. And book clubs can be seen as a kind of bibliotherapy too.

Generally speaking, activities in bibliotherapy are designed to do the following [2]:

* provide information

* provide insight

* stimulate discussion about problems

* communicate new values and attitudes

* create awareness that other people have similar problems

* provide realistic solutions to problems

Right now, I'm doing the bibliotherapy thing. I am reading "The Myth of Moral Justice" by Thane Rosenbaum. I'm working through my emotions about injustice in the world.

hey Deb; thanks for this. i was just talking to a friend of mine yesterday, who has a friend who does not want to go into therapy and whose "issues" are making their relationship untenable. I suggested that the friend may want to get some good "self-help" books. Talk about syncronicity (sp?)...anyway, i will tell her to look at your Blog. It is great. oh by the way, have your read: Taming YOur Gremlin:A Guide to Enjoying Yourself by Richard D. Carson {Virginia Satir said about it: ..."The imagery of this book led me to a very profound awareness --" - talk about an excellent recommendation, eh?}

and FYI all Blogging Bods, check out my recent post for info on Bald Eagle cam on Hornby Island, babies due in April!!! how exciting is that??

these kind of books are awesome and first place we go is to that section of the library peoples lives are empowering at times sad but hugely amazing, at the moment we are reading a book "our woman in kabul" and the courage they have to live the life they do. Hoping some oif that courage might rub off onto us :)

I can't believe I never heard of this earlier! I've been unconsciously using bibliotherapy my whole life. I'm definitely going to check out those links.

Dirk the feeble is right. I'd love one of those t-shirts. Or maybe a bumper sticker.

Thanks for stopping by my journal again! I was actually just thinking of you yesterday. I was disappointed that I didn't make it home in time to catch up on a few blogs, and yours was top on my list. Then I saw this morning that you had come to see me. :) I love the way the universe works.

I have been hoping you would write about books so I could ask if you have read "This Changes Everything". It's probably old news to you but this is a great historical reference for me concerning psychology, and this was all happening during the time I was growing up. It helps me to see that I wasn't the only one who led a secret life as a child and a teen - it's just that nobody talked about these things back then.

I had never heard of bibliotherapy, but I know it would work for me, especially if the material was actually discussed in therapy. This would be great for someone like me, who reads constantly - but I keep most of what I read to myself.

I didnt realize that bibliotherapy was actually a "therapy" but it makes a lot of sense. "The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion really helped me turn a corner on dealing with my Dad's death. Her thoughts and feelings were strangely similar to mine - I had no idea anyone else had those kinds of thoughts - seeing that helped me to not to feel like such an alien...

And to "Dirk the Feeble" - your comment cracked me up! Thanks for the chuckle :-)

I never knew this had a name, when I first went into therapy I had a very hard time talking about anything so we worked thorugh a book and discussed the issues in it and then slowly starting putting it in relationship to my life. It worked really well in the end for me.

I agree with you. Since I started counseling I have read several very good books. Two that come into mind that have helped me a lot were: Healthy boundries, and Managing Your emotions. Both areas I needed help with.

Dear S-Girl,Reading can be very meaningful. I always disliked the pressure of reading as a young school girl. Luckily, that feeling changed for me.

Dear Wendy,I am adding the Joan Didion book as a resource on my list. Thanks for the info. And Dirk The Feeble is a very funny blogger. You should check out his blog.

Dear Sonnie Dee,I am so glad :)

Dear Mysti,You are the second person to mention those two books. I have to check them out.

Dear Id It Is,It is a GREAT book for anyone. Thane Rosenbaum is a novelist as well as a nonfiction writer, and a law professor too. He fills this book on moral justice with films, historical events and other cultural world wide phenomenons. I cannot put it down, and endorse it highly. If you get it and read it, I'd love to know what you think about it.

All the books that have been listed sound really great, but don't seem to be quite what we need right now. Currently in our library we have "Amounst Ourselves", "The Fractured Mirror", "The Stranger in the Mirror", "The DID Sourcebook", "Thou Shalt Not be Aware", "The Drama of the GIfted Child" (last two by Alive Miller...don't know the names of the authors of the others off the top of my head) and "Cutting". Having a difficult time Finding something to help with recent events that doesn't assume you can recognize what you are feeling. :P

I found Anne Bancroft's Pocket Buddhist Reader most helpful during last year's recovery. The Practical Cogitator is a nice tote-around anthology that touches on many themes, though -- having been written in the 1940s and 1950s -- it lacks insight from women. (Think "Man this" and "man that".)

Dear Fallen,The idea behind this post is that books can open a world for exploring emotions and finding resolutions. The thing is to find a book that works for you. Sounds like you are doing a lot of that.

I have actually done bibliotherapy within the scope of therapy. Not only does it help in ways that dr ~deb has already mentioned, but also it lets us know, consciously or subconsciously that we are not alone. I think some people need that.

Bibliotherapy has been trialled as part of the NHS in the UK. http://www.unltd.org.uk/blogs/tonyplant/66What with the popularity of cinematherapy, I recently speculated that it will not be long before doctors are prescribing relevant videogames for specific demographics such as young men, seriously ill children, etc.

Never have I heard of this. Always have I used it. Now it has a name. Depression is a lone thing, reading is also. I have taken succor from many sources, frankly not much from 'self help' books. Some author's express their loniness through their work. Wallace Stevens and Henry James are two of them. Any depressed person will see themselves in their writings. And the visual can also be instructive. I can't look at the paintings of Georgio de Chirico without the pang of recognition and regret. Ironically we are social group of loners. Dr. Serani is a bright beacon in a foggy night.

Dear Kim,I'm going to put that book on my referral list. There;s nothing quite like word of mouth for a good book. And ain't moms the best!

Dear Dr. Dork,The evil fallacy of fairness. Sadly we don't live in a world that is fair, yet we teach our children to be fair. I think there is value in this CBT paradigm, but I waiver in using it. Did you find it helpful? The Rosenbaum book was fabulous.

Dear August,So glad you came by to visit. Depression is a lone thing, well said.

About Me

A psychologist and practicing psychoanalyst, Dr. Deborah Serani specializes in treating trauma and depression. Information provided in this blog is to be used for educational purposes only. It should NOT be used as a substitute for therapy.